Lost a Hen

[ninnymary]

Yesterday afternoon, I found my blue laced red wyndotte dead on the floor of the coop. She was fine in the morning and was in the nest box the last time I saw her. I lifted her to see if there were any eggs underneath. I am always gentle so as not to startle them or get pecked. She was fine with it. Later on I found an egg but I'm not sure if it was hers.

I know this is silly but that was the first time I've lifted her to check for eggs. I wonder if it could have stressed her and caused her to die?

I have also recently removed their ladder to get to the enclosed coop section where they roost and the boxes are. They only have to jump/fly about 3ft. Do you think she could have broken her neck or hurt herself jumping down? I am too squimish to have done any type of examination.

I am very squimish when it comes to picking up dead animals. I always have someone else do it. But I thought I could do it this time. So I got my daughter's boyfriend to stand by for moral support. I put on my gloves, got my bag, and was able to put her inside of it. I was so proud of myself! I can't imagine how some of you can process your chickens.

Mary

 

[Lavender2]

I don't know too much about chickens... but I'm sorry you lost yours!

 

[thistlebloom]

Oh, so sorry Mary!
I seriously doubt it had anything to do with you lifting her. Or even from jumping up or down. Sometimes chickens just seem to die for inexplicable reasons.

 

[Ridgerunner]

No. Mary. You did not stress and kill her by checking under her. Not no how. Not no way.


You can never say never but millions of hens make that maneuver every day, either from the nests or roosts or just hopping down from somewhere they were perching or playing without hurting themselves. A Wyandotte is not that big a chicken. I seriously doubt that had anything to do with it. Mine won’t use ramps to come down anyway. They prefer to jump from a 5’ high roost and they are the same size as your Wyandotte.


I’ve found a chicken that was acting perfectly healthy dead in the run or on the coop floor. There was no prior indication anything was wrong. They just died. I’d guess a heart attack or stroke, but without doing a necropsy and cutting them open, you don’t know for sure. Even doing that you may not know for sure.


Don’t worry about being squeamish. We all have our phobias whether we admit them or not. I really hate touching snakes, though philosophically I know a black snake or king snake won’t really harm me. There is nothing wrong with being squeamish or fearful. Those are normal natural reactions. Bravery is doing what you need to in spite of those feelings. You should be proud of yourself.

 

[Wishin']

So sorry Mary

Ridgerunner is right ninnymary. Disturbing the hen had nothing to do with your hen's death. I've got 200 birds give or take a dozen, and they get disturb many times a day every day. It is not likely it died jumping off a roost either, I've got big birds, heavy birds, little birds and flighty birds they all jump any where from 4 feet to 20 feet right to the ground even when ramps, ladders, and limbs are available only one bird a very heavy set mutt who was well past his slaughter date ever got injured,and he only pulled a leg tendon. Good for you picking up the bird

 

[canesisters]

Oh Mary, I'm so sorry that you lost your hen. Unfortunately, there are so many things that could've gone wrong - and too often they don't give us any signs. I guess that's part of being at the bottom of the food chain - they don't show illness very easily. How old was she? Like someone else said, it was very likely something sudden like a bad heart that just gave out.
I'm proud of you for being able to remove the body!!

 

[journey11]

So sorry about your hen, Mary. Did you have her very long? I would agree a heart problem would be most likely. It was nothing you did wrong.

 

[ninnymary]

Thank you ridgerunner and everyone else for making me feel better. I actually thought I might have given her a heart attach but was too embarased to mention it to you guys.
She was young about a year old and I only had her for about 5 months. Her neck didn't appear to be broken either but her eyes were closed.

As I was about to pick her up, I told my daughter's boyfriend that I hoped I wouldn't have nightmares. I think I'll be fine.

Mary

 

[Nyboy]

Sorry

 

[Carol Dee]

Sorry, too.